A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
The stand-out speech of the Spring Conference came this morning from Ed Miliband who spoke without notes about the manifesto for the next General Election, was stunningly impressive, and got a spontaneous standing ovation. He was very, very good. You can read what he had to say here.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 12:48 pm
Labour MP for North Durham since 2024. Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Dad. Unite and GMB union member. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
14 Comments:
Miliband...mhhh. A man who is about to drive a huge wedge between Britain and our closest allies.
I don't think he will be very popular in a few months, let's just say that our relations with America are going to be very important in the next few months.
8:50 pm, March 02, 2008
Errrm, why would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office be driving a huge wedge between Britain and the US?
9:45 pm, March 02, 2008
You don't pay much attention to international politics then. Huge row over 9/11 trials and Miliband has put his foot right in it.
9:58 pm, March 02, 2008
Different Miliband Rich. There are 2 of them.
10:12 pm, March 02, 2008
My mistake sorry....they look the same though.
10:18 pm, March 02, 2008
Both Siliband's are weird but then most of the Labour cabinet are as well just look at Horse Hair Jacket Ruth Kelly
8:17 am, March 03, 2008
Suppose being a son of this loony Ralph Miliband does not help
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Miliband
10:30 am, March 03, 2008
Looks like a good speech. Ed Miliband was a hit as Minister for the Third Sector. I know several people who aren't easily wowed by politicians who find him geniune and impressive.
11:16 am, March 03, 2008
Sorry to say this as I actually quite like the Milliband Bros and their father but I find them and their politics (the Bros that is )like our "Dear Leader", a bit bland. No wonder Rich was confused! But then on the whole of it I find most of the New Labour lot uninspiriring.
6:12 pm, March 03, 2008
What I find ironic is that it was the late John Smith (Blair won on his success) that won Labour their first election yet Labour felt the need to change their beliefs....and we ended up with NuLabour....or NuFascist.
By the end of the last tory government people were fed up....myself included and wanted change...the floating voter came out and removed the tories.
Most were expecting big changes in the railways, utility companies and the NHS. While I'll give Labour the credit of spending record amounts on our NHS they failed on core Labour values. Everyone wanted Labour to nationalise the railways companies and utility companies. Here we are10 years on being held to ransom by greedy power companies....and the best we can do is come up with credits and vouchers. Has anyone actually wondered what these prices are doing to breadline working families? Do you realise that many working people are now worse off working than they are on benefits. It's a very thin line and as a patron to a charity that offers hoildays to families on low incomes I'm getting increasingly frustrated. The latest tax changes is going to make matters a lot worse for the poorest. What was Brown thinking when he removed the lower tax banding?
I think Labour have lost touch with its values. A Labour party is meant to be looking after it's workers and most importantly helping the lowest paid better themselves through work and not benefits.
Labour are also starting to attack job seekers, an policy which I can not understand. If we only have 600,000 unemployed surely this is not a priority and doesn't justify the right wing approach of the government.
I think Labours biggest achievement is the fact that they have forced the conservative party to change their policy on poverty and healthcare. That will be the Labour legacy.
11:11 pm, March 03, 2008
Yeah I would agree with that Rich, "The Project" has been a letdown in areas, however generally the Labour governments (both Blair and Brown) have delivered on some progressive policies (see the list Comrade Akehurst published), which only goes to prove that even a bad labour government is better than the Tories.
Funny you should mention about nationalisation of utilities and the railway (something I too share your opinion on). My missus is currently studying her first law course at the OU, as I was scanning through her material (some light reading I tell you!) I read that EU competition law prohibits the creation of nationalised monopolies in member states; at least that was my interpretation of it anyway. It could be one of the reasons (as well as any nationalised companies debt being added to national debt) the government has been unwilling to do the right thing. Does anyone think there is a way to circumvent EU competition law to allow the nationalisation and creation of a state monopoly?
9:18 am, March 04, 2008
Ravi, one of the reasons not to be a member of the EU, you lose that control. All the political parties seem determined to take us further into Europe. In my opinion it is another step towards a world government and soon our parliament will be no more than a regional assembly. Thats a different argument.
You say that Labour have pushed through progressive policies, this you can say about any government. I can see no difference between the conservatives and labour at the moment and on the whole Labour are proving in many cases to be more right wing. It's very strange how parties change once they have power. The I.D card scheme was the brain child of the last conservative government and opposed by the Blair party...yet as soon as Labour take power back comes the I.D card scheme.
As I always say the true power lies behind the walls of government and in the boardrooms of commercial giants.
A clssis example is Tax. Labour introduce a watered down non dom tax after extensive lobbying. Labour so far have refused to even talk about the decision to remove the lower tax band for the poorest works. It amazes me that Labour will go back on their non dom policy that will hit less than 0.5% of the wealthiet people who choose to live in the UK, yet will not even discuss their plans to remove the lower tax banding which will hit 20% of the poorest workers.
Something is seriously wrong with this Labour government. So why bother even supporting them, what is the point. A vote for Labour is a vote for them to carry on regardless and will in the end damage our democracy.
10:46 am, March 04, 2008
A lot of good stuff comes out of the EU (worker's rights and Human rights for example), not to mention the fact the EU is one of our biggest trading partners. Cession really cannot be an option.
11:38 am, March 04, 2008
You don't have to be a member to trade in Europe. France buys a lot of Americas exports for example...is the US part of the EU?
Human Rights.......you might change your mind in 10 years time on that one Ravi. Workers rights, the UK has an opt out on those.
Europe has few benefits these days, it costs billions, it's undemocratic, too large and currupt. Europe is the reason why you will never get a socialist government Ravi, it is the start of the new global market....or as many say a "new world order". Do some homework Ravi, please do not trust what Labour says on Europe.....LIES. Equally do not trust the conservatives on Europe.
The European Union is a fascist state and is backed by big business for big business.
12:17 pm, March 04, 2008
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